CHVISHTARI (GEORGIAN CORNBREAD WITH CHEESE)

Chvishtari (cornbread with cheese) comes from Svaneti (Georgian: სვანეთი), a mountainous province in the northwestern part of Georgia.

There are several types of Chvishtari and in this recipe we will show how to make one of the most popular.

Ingredients (for 6 servings).

300 grams of Sulguni cheese (Georgian: სულუგუნი). Sulguni (also called Suluguni) is a pickled Georgian cheese from the Samegrelo region. It has a sour, moderately salty flavor, a dimpled texture, and an elastic consistency. If you don’t have Sulguni you can use feta or Mozzarella cheese.

400 grams of stone-ground white cornmeal.

2 eggs, 70 ml of oil, 350 ml of milk, or water and salt (only if the cheese is not salty).

Preparation.

Dice or shred cheese and add to a mixing bowl with eggs, cornmeal and milk (or water).

Mix the ingredients with hands or wooden spoon until the mixture looks like the photo below. The cheese should not be mashed during this process – the aim is to fully cover it.

When the mixture is ready mold each Chvishtari by hand as shown in the photo below. Make sure you have at least 5-6 pieces of cheese in each Chvishtari.

Add oil to pan and when hot add each Chvishtari and reduce to a low heat and cover the pan.

After 5-6 minutes, very carefully turn the Chvishtari and cook for a further 5-6 on a low heat (uncovered). When ready, they should look like the ones in the photo below.

Chvishtari should be served hot. Enjoy!

The recipe for Mchadi (Georgian cornbread without cheese) can be found here.